Hello and I hope you are having a fantastic Friday! On Monday I told you about another of the many wings of Heidelberg Castle, the Glass Hall, or Glaserner Saalbau. Today I want to share the wing next to that one, the one that until the eighteenth century was known as the Pagan Wing.
You can see it above to the right of the Glaserner Saalbau and it is the Ottheinrichsbau, built by the Elector Prince Ottheinrich in 1556, over 300 years after the original castle buildings were built.
And, remember when I told you about how small the Glass Hall was compared to the other wings of the castle?
Well, Ottheinrich made it smaller to build his wing of the castle. And on the right above, you can see the next part of the castle, the Ludwigsbau which suffered the same fate. Part of it was demolished to make way for the Ottheinrichsbau.
And the Ottheinrichsbau is a partial ruin, the top two floors are nothing but a shell. There is however a museum on the lower floors.
It must have been so impressive in its day. The facade of the Ottheinrichsbau is similar to the Friedrichsbau in that it has a lot of carved statues and figures on it. And they too have multiple meanings.
Their are over a dozen statues that represent allegorical figures from the Old Testament, mythology and science.
Some of them are mythical heroes Joshua, Samson, Heracles and David.
Over the entrance (which now leads to the museum) is also a carving of Otto Heinrich, or Elector Otthenrich.
And the crest is represented again – with helmets, a knight’s shield, lions and the ball and cross. There are also men fighting lions which represent the strength and bravery of the Elector Princes.
I am not sure who the lady is above Otto Heinrich. She could be one of the seven classic planets that were known at the time, since they are represented here on the facade. Otto also has some sweet little musical cherubs surrounding him and the fruit probably represents bounty and wealth. And it also looks like Ottheinrich did not go hungry!
It really is another example of beautiful work with the Neckar Valley sandstone.
There are also Princely Virtues represented on the facade.
Ottheinrich introduced Protestantism in 1557 to the region so it was really ironic that he had so many different ideologies on his wing.
The wing is another example of lovely Renaissance architecture.
In the gables there are carvings of Roman Emperors, such as Nero. They were great emblems of power.
They were made from copying actual coins in Ottheinrich’s collection.
Ottheinrich only ruled for three years yet he is still considered one of the most important of the Electors that ruled at Heidelberg. He brought science and culture to the region and built a massive library at the castle. He also was instrumental in turning Heidelberg University into a Calvinistic Institution. He accomplished great things in such a short period of time, it is fitting that his wing be another one of his great accomplishments.
Next I will show you the remaining images I took of the castle before we left and headed down to Old Town Heidelberg.
This is not a sponsored post. This is my experience from my trip with Viking River Cruises. Email me to find out how you can save $100 when you book your first cruise with Viking through their referral program.
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